JD Majethia on initial failure of 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'

New Delhi,UPDATED: Jul 9, 2024 18:27 IST

Actor and Producer JD Majethia shared his insights on the initial failure of the TV show 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'. Starring Rupali Ganguly, Ratna Pathak Shah and Satish Shah, among many talented actors, it became a classic show over time. However, it didn't see a lot of popularity at the time of its original release on television. Majethia, who also made special appearances on the show, spoke about its reception by the audience in those days.

In his latest with Siddharth Kanan, the producer questioned the sensibilities of the Indian audience. He said, "India is a country of mediocre people, especially in TV viewing. There is a lot to learn there. Mediocre - as in, main bura nahi bol raha hu-I mean that they don’t expect some super-intelligent cinema in life." He went to explain how the Indian audience usually likes to watch shows which are easy on eyes and mind. "They just want some light-hearted stuff, the middle class mentality of, ‘I have come back home after a long day, just give me something feel good to watch or daily soap or drama for women'. They don’t want to use their brains a lot," he said.

Majethia went on to talk about the 'intelligent humour' and 'vocabulary' of 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai'. He also highlighted the time it was scheduled to air on the channel. "It was important to have the knowledge of vocabulary to enjoy it. Also, it would air every Monday, to logo ki wo adat nhi bani [people are not used to it]. Those who would watch the show would love it so much, and there was no time for a repeat telecast. Aaj kal sab OTT pe aa jata hail [because everything is available on OTT these days], Sony ka show SonyLiv pe, Star Plus a Hotstar pe or zee ka Zee5 pe. There was not much scope for repeat viewing on those days, so they'd have to wait for the next Monday to watch the new episode. Because of YouTube, people got to know what 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' was."

The producer added that he could see the show's popularity as it grew with the audience. He recalled the time when he would see 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' and his other show, 'Khichdi', working better than the top American shows like 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S'. "The show didn’t work in the first season, but till today, it is rated as one of the best comedy shows of India. I am very happy with its journey." he concluded.

'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' had a second season where the original cast came together to showcase the life of the Sarabhai family today. The show worked like a reboot of the original TV series and can be found on Disney+Hotstar.